Sponsoring a Child

The children in Mariamma Children Home desperately want someone they can call by name, someone they can receive letters from and write to. About one third of the children we met are "Tsunami children" who lost their parents and everything they every thought they owned. A most generous woman from Spain has set up a sponsorship system, where any person who wants to "adopt" a child can correspond with that child. They will undoubtedly treasure every letter you write, will keep it in their personal footlocker, and be able to talk about you, as if they really did have some family afterall. Think about it. So many orphanages are shut down, or end up closing down due to lack of funds or food, or mismanagement. We checked this one out pretty thoroughly and are convinced these children have a better chance than most of living a full life. They are fed, they are happy and clean and cared for, they are taught to be very responsible and polite. They go to school and have strict study hours at home. There are several students who attend private school and are doing very well academically. But everything is more expensive since the Tsunami -- rice, paper for school, and even the wood they use to cook... because all the available wood is being used to rebuild lost fishing boats. A personal contact all their own means SO MUCH.